Strengths:

Thoughtful, high emotional intelligence, listens for what your strengths are and helps them come through properly.

Thank you again for all of the help and insight you've given me this past year, above and beyond what was expected. When I started studying for the GMAT/GRE, I never thought I would be remotely competitive for schools like HBS, Wharton, and Sloan. You helped immensely in sharpening my applications while allowing my voice to come through and in giving me confidence that my story is competitive. I was nervous at first that working with a consultant would feel highly transactional, but that was not the case with you. I felt you really cared about my success and greatly appreciate that you went above and beyond the hours I had purchased, making sure to really get to know me and answering my myriad questions via email.

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Strengths:

Comprehensive support from experts from beginning to end of the application and admissions process. Excellent introspection, narrative, school selection, essay writing, resume writing, interview, networking, and decision support.

Would make the product better:

More thorough discussion on the importance of school selection at the start would have helped me.

I give my highest recommendation to Lisa Cummings from Stratus. I was an unprepared non-traditional applicant and enlisted her help late in the application process. I was accepted to 3/4 MBA programs that I applied to, including an M7, T10, and T15. Lisa has deep knowledge of the admissions process for premier MBA programs and explains what is important to each school and why. Communication and advice from Lisa was fast, direct, and clear. She is persistent and pushed me to make progress and meet deadlines, which I needed. She excels at listening to and understanding your background and goals and recommending how to leverage that in your applications (resume, essays, LORs, interview, etc).

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When I started the MBA application process, I knew I had strong experiences, but I wasn't sure how to turn them into a compelling story that would resonate with admissions committees. Working with Susan Cera was easily one of the best investments I made throughout the entire process.

From our very first conversations, Susan challenged me to think more deeply about my past experiences, motivations, and long-term goals. She didn't simply edit essays, she helped me uncover the themes that connected my personal story, professional achievements, and future aspirations into an authentic and cohesive narrative.

Susan added value at every stage of the process. She guided me through the introspection needed to identify my strongest stories, helped develop a thoughtful application strategy for each school, brainstormed and refined every essay, transformed my resume into one designed for MBA admissions, and prepared me extensively for interviews. Her feedback was always honest, strategic, and incredibly detailed, while never losing my own voice.

What impressed me most was that Susan genuinely cared about my success. She knew exactly when to push me harder, when to challenge my thinking, and when to reassure me that I was on the right track. Throughout the process, she became much more than an admissions consultant, she was a trusted advisor and coach.

The result speaks for itself: I accepted an offer to an M7 business school which was my #1 choice and I can confidently say my application was dramatically stronger because of Susan's guidance. I have no doubt that I would not have presented the same caliber of application without her partnership.

If you're looking for someone who combines deep admissions expertise with an incredible ability to help you tell your story in the most authentic and compelling way possible, I cannot recommend Susan Cera highly enough. She was instrumental in helping me achieve one of my biggest career goals, and I will always be grateful for her support.

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If you're liked I was 2 years ago reading this page and wondering whether to fork over a considerable sum of money and time to have Susan (or truthfully any counselor) work with you on your applications ... do it and choose Susan every time.

About me: deferred MBA candidate that did her 4-school package, accepted at Booth and Wharton (headed to Wharton in 2-4 years). Came from a big midwest state school, working in consulting post-undergrad, and felt really bleak about my odds.

So, why is Susan so uniquely phenomenal? Three reasons:

1. She's cares enough to be blunt (when needed): Susan is the definition of someone who will push you to your fullest even when you may be reluctant to go further. When I was taking my GRE, I had really struggled to boost my score, and she provided incredibly helpful (and transparent) advice about where my lower score would get me and how to course correct. I spoke with around 6 consultants before choosing Susan, and I'm confident at least half of them would've sugarcoated or told me what I wanted to hear with my subpar, original GRE score. Susan, though? She'll keep it straight and tell it to you how it is / how to fix (and that's true for EVERY part of the application process with her).

2. She's been in this business long enough to have actual experience WORTH drawing from: In identifying what my long-term career goals were, I was consistently waffling with unclear visions. At every turn, she must've rattled off 10-12 prior candidates that had quite similar backgrounds to me that provided actual inspiration. Post-Susan, she opened my eyes to Entrepreneurship through Acquisition, the career goal that came to form the basis of my b-school applications.

3. She's just as much a consultant as she is a friend: In talking with her prior clients and what I'd gathered in our consultation, I knew she was personable. Great, I thought; however, I brushed it off to mean she's merely a friendly person, cool. No! Susan is a true gem that goes ABOVE and BEYOND what it means to truly get to know someone, becoming a PARTNER (not just second set of eyes) in the process. She remembers every small detail you may have mentioned in passing and even remembered my birthday that was nestled in a final application read through (in the fine print) for one of my schools. She's someone you keep in touch with long past working on MBA applications because she's that genuine of a person.

Can't recommend Susan enough - if you have a seed of doubt, ask her to speak with a former client or two of hers like myself, and you'll quickly understand why so many sing her praises.

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Strengths:

Introspection exercises, essay brainstorming/editing, interview prep, general confidence.

Would make the product better:

N/A

Before committing, I had intake calls with 7–8 consultants. All were well-qualified, but Susan stood out immediately. She clearly took the time to understand my profile before our call, and she went well over the allotted time to dig into my concerns about my nontraditional background. As a former collegiate soccer player herself, she also understood my story on a personal level in a way others didn't. Her Dartmouth undergrad background and experience on Fuqua's Admissions Committee were especially valuable given that Tuck and Fuqua were high on my list.
What stood out about working with her:
1. Introspection exercises
Susan's exercises pushed me to think deeply and connect the dots across my experience, giving me a clear, cohesive MBA story and a strong set of examples for essays and interviews.
2. Essay brainstorming
With all that introspection, I often ended up with 4–5 drafts covering different experiences for a single essay. Susan talked through each one with me and helped me identify which one truly fit.
3. Essay editing
Tight word counts and making the "Why This School" section stand out are genuinely hard problems. Susan worked through both with me skillfully.
4. Interview prep
She made sure I had both core and school-specific questions down cold.
5. Character
Encouraging, thoughtful, instinctive, and knowledgeable — she held me accountable while giving me room to work things out on my own.
6. Confidence
Most importantly, despite multiple resume gaps and relatively short stints at my previous three companies, Susan gave me the confidence to present my background as an asset rather than a liability.

I'd recommend her without hesitation to anyone navigating a nontraditional path to business school.

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Strengths:

- Lisa and the team at Stratus are knowledgeable and efficient professionals
- Detailed guidance given at every step of the journey through an easy to follow and well thought out system
- Straightforward and actionable feedback

Would make the product better:

N/A

I purchased the MBA Two-School Consultation Package after being referred by a coworker. His recommendation was the best advice I could have received. As someone coming from outside of the business world, I did not know what I did not know. Lisa was incredibly patient, providing guidance at every step. She quickly identified what I was looking for, what I wanted to convey with my essays/interviews, and how to accurately show my strengths to the admissions committee. With the help of the Stratus team, I was accepted to four of the five schools that I applied to, for all of which I was near the bottom for GMAT/GPA, and I firmly believe that this would not be the case without their assistance. I highly recommend their products to anyone interested in pursuing an MBA.

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Strengths:

Fast response times, clear and transparent communication, and highly actionable feedback. Jennifer is very organized and keeps you on track throughout the process, while also being thoughtful and strategic in how she approaches your application.

Would make the product better:

N/A

Jennifer was instrumental in my MBA application journey. Coming from a non-traditional background, I initially struggled to clearly articulate my story and position my experience in a way that would resonate with top programs. Jennifer completely changed that. She helped me distill my experiences into a cohesive, compelling narrative and pushed me to think more deeply about my motivations, leadership, and goals. Her feedback was always thoughtful, direct, and highly strategic, never generic!

The results speak for themselves. I was admitted to Stanford, Wharton, Booth, Columbia, and Yale. Beyond outcomes, what stood out most was her ability to balance challenge and support. She consistently pushed me to elevate my thinking while ensuring my voice remained authentic. I truly don’t believe I would have achieved these results without her guidance. I highly recommend Jennifer to anyone serious about top MBA programs!

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Have had the pleasure of working with Donna over an extended period, and can attest to her commitment and expertise. Navigating the MBA admissions process is an incredibly arduous process / journey, but Donna was instrumental in helping me stay the course, providing the structure and encouragement needed to ensure every application was submitted on time. Ultimately, her guidance was a key factor in me getting into my dream MBA program.

What sets Donna apart is her uncanny ability to delve deep into a candidate's background, and to hone in on a compelling narrative. She helped me articulate my story in a way that was impactful and authentic, ensuring my true voice was never lost in the process. Her intuition for storytelling, combined with her rigorous professional standards, makes her an invaluable asset to any applicant. I cannot speak highly enough of Donna and would highly recommend her to anyone apply for B-School.

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Strengths:

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Working with Donna was fantastic. She not only helped me navigate the MBA application process, but also helped me gain real clarity on my career direction and long-term goals. Donna consistently pushed me to think more deeply about my experiences, strengths, and areas for growth.

Donna was extremely professional throughout our work together. She outlined clear expectations and SLAs at the start and consistently turned feedback around quickly, delivering everything on time and as expected.

Stratus was also incredibly supportive throughout the journey. Getting input from multiple perspectives across the Stratus team at different stages, from early strategy and school selection to interview prep, made a big difference. I felt well prepared and confident at every step of the application process.

I’d strongly recommend Donna to anyone going through the MBA application process

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I chose to work with Lisa at Stratus because of her experience working with transitioning veterans. She made the application process as stress-free as possible, and did an excellent job identifying my individual strengths, and making sure I highlighted those in my essays. She edited my essays quickly and gave great feedback, significantly improving the quality of my writing. She was also very helpful during the interview stage, ensuring I was prepared and comfortable for my interviews. She was always willing to hop on a call and discuss any concerns I had, and even accommodated difficult time zones as I was deployed to Asia. I strongly recommend Lisa to anyone who is applying to business school, especially if you are transitioning out of the military.

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